The Bully General's Spiritual Husband

Once the chicken was cooked on the stove, Yin Baicai immediately took it out, washed the pot clean, and started steaming the rice.

He added some firewood and quickly fled the sweltering kitchen.

"Ah, it's much cooler outside. This place is like a sauna."

After chopping firewood, Li Zhe came over and said, "It's very hot. I'll go to town tomorrow to buy some ice so you can cook in the kitchen more comfortably."

Upon hearing Li Zhe mention ice, Yin Baicai asked him, "Li the bully, do you know where I can find saltpeter?"

"Saltpeter? What do you want with that? There seems to be something like that at the entrance of a cave in the middle of Wutong Mountain."

When Yin Baicai heard that Li Zhe actually knew where there was saltpeter, he realized that this meant he could make ice.

Then we won't have to worry about the heat. We can just make ice, wrap it in a handkerchief and hang it around our necks, and it will be much cooler when cooking in the kitchen.

Yin Baicai immediately grabbed Li Zhe's arm: "Where is it? Take me there quickly and see if it's the kind I want!"

Li Zhe looked at the arm that Yin Baicai was holding, and lowered his head to think about something. This seemed to be the second time this young man had held his arm.

I think the last time was when I helped him fetch water.

Feeling the touch on his arm, Li Zhe's momentary stunned reaction seemed to Yin Baicai as if he was unwilling to take her to find saltpeter.

"If you're not willing to take me to find it, then I'll go by myself."

The hand on his arm was removed, and Li Zhe hurriedly said, "No, it's almost time for the workers to eat now. I'll take you up the mountain to have a look after we finish eating."

Yin Baicai perked up again: "Okay, it's settled then, we'll go after we finish eating."

The two stopped talking, and Yin Baicai went into the sweltering kitchen to check on the rice she had steamed.

Li Zhe came into the room and looked at Li Mo, who was still learning to read. "Xiao Mo, take a rest. We'll look at it again in a while."

Li Mo obediently put down the book in his hand and prepared to go to the kitchen to find Yin Baicai.

"Mom, Momo needs help." Li Mo poked her little head out of the kitchen door and said to Yin Baicai inside the kitchen.

"Okay, Mo Xiaogui, can you wipe the table clean for me? We can eat when the uncles who do the work come over."

While constantly stirring the vegetables in the wok, Yin Baicai talked to Li Mo.

Li Mo obediently and sensibly went to wipe the table.

Li Zhe consciously squatted down by the stove to add firewood for Yin Baicai. Yin Baicai stood up and looked down, and saw Li Zhe, a big guy, squatting there. She found it funny.

This bully Li is quite self-aware, not bad. He's also quite virtuous. I wonder which girl will be lucky enough to marry him in the future.

He doesn't have that stinky habit of avoiding the kitchen that those stinky men have!

After cooking the dishes, Yin Baicai noticed that Ge Tian and the others hadn't arrived yet, so she went to call them: "Brother Ge, everyone, lunch is ready."

"Here it comes! I could smell the aroma of vegetables from far away. What delicious food did you cook today, Brother Vegetable?"

"You'll know just when you go and take a look."

Yin Baicai took a special look and saw that everyone was working very hard, and they had dug quite a few foundations in just one morning.

After washing their hands, Yin Baicai filled everyone's bowls with rice, and the group began to eat around the large table in Li Zhe's courtyard.

The courtyard was filled with Ge Tian and the others praising Yin Baicai's cooking skills: "Brother Cai, your skills are good enough to be the head chef in the town's restaurant."

The time filled with laughter and joy passed quickly, and after Ge Tian and the others had eaten and drunk their fill, they went back to work.

This was the first time the group had received such a good job. The pay was high, the food was delicious, and most importantly, the employer didn't come over to supervise and point fingers; he left everything to them.

Workers like employers who don't cause trouble, so they work even harder.

After finishing their meal and washing the dishes, Yin Baicai pulled Li Zhe along and asked him to take her to see the place where the saltpeter had been discovered.

Fearing that I might be disappointed, as long as I'm sure it's the one I'm looking for, I can make ice cubes that will both cool me down and provide a cold drink.

Make some mung bean soup, add some ice cubes, and it's an amazing way to cool down in the summer!

Li Zhe looked at the enthusiastic young man and wondered what use the saltpeter was to him. He had already yawned quite a bit, but he still insisted on going to find it.

Li Zhe closed the door and led Yin Baicai up the mountain.

Li Zhe was very familiar with this mountain forest, and the two arrived at their destination in no time.

Looking at the dark cave hidden by the bushes, Yin Baicai asked Li Zhe beside her uncertainly, "Li the bully, you're not mistaken about this place, are you? There's definitely saltpeter in here. Could this be the den of some large beast?"

"Yes, there aren't any big wild animals in the middle of the area; they're only found deep in the mountains."

"Yes, it really exists. Have you seen it?"

Li Zhe was afraid that telling Yin Baicai that he had seen the traces of the tiger would scare her, so he changed the subject: "Aren't you looking for saltpeter? I'll take you inside to take a look."

Li Zhe walked in front, with Yin Baicai following closely behind.

To accommodate Yin Baicai, Li Zhe deliberately slowed his pace, saying, "Don't be afraid, there won't be any wild animals inside."

Yin Baicai's heart trembled slightly, and she asked softly, "How can you be so sure?"

"Sometimes when it rains and I don't have time to go down the mountain, I take shelter here."

Li Zhe was the first to enter the cave, took out a tinderbox from his pocket, lit it, and illuminated the surroundings: "Come and take a look, is this the saltpeter you're looking for?"

Using the firelight, Yin Baicai clearly saw the situation in the cave: "Yes, that's it. Let's dig some out and take it back. Let's see if I can succeed!"

Yin Baicai touched her nose guiltily, after all, she hadn't done it; she had only seen it while scrolling through videos out of boredom.

Go back and try it out first. If it works, then produce it in large quantities.

We can also make it to store food, and it should keep for two or three days without any problem.

Li Zhe handed the tinderbox in his hand to Yin Baicai so he could take it, put down the basket on his back, picked up the hoe and began to dig for saltpeter in the hole.

He said to Yin Baicai beside him, "Stand a little further away, or you might get stone fragments flying into your eyes."

Yin Baicai found a spot where she could see Li Zhe's reflection and also where she could avoid flying stones and stood still.

Several loud clanging sounds came from inside the cave as Li Zhe dug up a considerable amount of saltpeter.

Yin Baicai stopped Li Zhe: "That's enough, that's all."

Li Zhe packed the saltpeter he had dug up into his basket: "Alright, let's go down the mountain!"

When they arrived at Yin Baicai's house, Yin Baicai opened the door and let Li Zhe carry the things inside.

"Just leave it there. You wait and see, Li the bully, I'll show you magic tomorrow." Yin Baicai said to Li Zhe with a smug little expression.

Li Zhe nodded after putting down his things: "Okay, I'll go back first. Come to my place for dinner tonight. There's still a lot of food left over from lunch, and it might spoil by tomorrow."

After Li Zhe left, Yin Baicai began to process the saltpeter she had dug up, following the method she remembered.

He first found an earthenware jar that his family used to pickle vegetables, washed it clean, put some saltpeter in it, added enough water, and used a rolling pin to speed up the dissolution of the saltpeter.

After dissolving, seal the jar tightly and place it in a cool, dark corner.

"Mission accomplished! A miracle will happen tomorrow!"

Yin Baicai, hands on hips, laughed loudly and chanted a spell over the jar: "Damn it, God of Darkness, the ice-making process with saltpeter is complete—"